The Rise of Darth Xana
by Laboon's Wrath
Summary: Found on Tatooine by a bounty hunter, Geer Ben would ultimately become one of the greatest threats to ever face the Galaxy. This is his story.


Star Wars: Rise of Darth Xana

From Wonderland Productions

Chapter One: Geer Ben

_50 BBY_

_Tatooine_

Jakele Mastin could not believe his eyes. The Zabrak rubbed his horns as he stared at the wailing infant lying in the sand before him.

The babe had gray skin and blue lips, clearly not a Human. Perhaps an Ygteptian? No matter. His Ithorian friend Pashanta Nast would be able to figure that much out later.

"How did you survive out here in the Dune Sea for so long unprotected?" Jakele asked the baby while gingerly picking it up. He glanced around and saw no tracks but his, so the baby had to have been there for some time. "Quite the survivor, in any case," he mused. "I shall call you Geer Ben. In the language of the Ithorians, it means 'he survives.' A fitting name, I should say!" he added with a laugh.

By this point the baby had stopped crying. It saw Jakele laughing and took it as a cue to do the same.

"I think we shall get along splendidly," said Jakele, smiling. "Come, now, Geer Ben. I'm going to leave you in the care of uncle Pashanta for a while. Daddy has some headhunting to do."

Cradling Geer in his arms, Jakele began striding towards his speeder. _Perhaps_, he thought, _my new child will end up the bounty hunting partner I've been looking for all these years._

_18 years later_

Mars Guo's podracer slammed into the sand, sending smoke pluming every which way. The viewscreen closed up on Guo's face, which held an expression of absolute rage. The crowd went wild.

"Who do you think is going to win?" Jakele asked Geer Both of the men were in the stands, watching the Boonta Eve Classic podrace unfold. Geer had reached the age of 18 recently, and was Jakele's apprentice in bounty hunting.

"Why does it matter?" Geer snapped. "Podracing is a waste of time. Where is our new client? He was supposed to have been at the race."

"And he said to meet him _after_ the race, in the pod hangar. You must learn to pay attention to details, Geer. Your life may one day depend on it.

"I ask again: who do you feel will win the race?"

Geer considered. He closed his eyes in deep thought. Finally, he spoke. "Skywalker," he said.

"The Human?" Jakele questioned with skepticism. "He's never been in a top five place before; what makes you so sure he'll win?"

"He has abilities none of the others possess."

"What sort of abilities?"

"I can't articulate it properly. It's... just something I feel around Skywalker. Some kind of... power, I suppose?"

Jakele laughed. "Keep up the mystical slag," he joked, "and pretty soon the Jedi will be knocking on our door with recruitment forms!"

Geer smiled curtly. "I don't think I'd make a very good Jedi," he said flatly.

Jakele frowned. "No," he admitted, "I suppose not."

Suddenly, the announcer screamed: "Skywalker's won!"

The noise of the crowd was deafening.

"Well, what do you know," said Geer. "I was right."

"So you were," said Jakele. "Come now. We have an appointment to keep."

TTTTT

"A Hutt client," said Jakele, sizing up the sluglike creature before him and Geer. "Prestigious."

I have heard good things about you, Mastin, the Hutt said in Huttese, quickly translated by his protocol droid. I trust that you will carry out this assignment with aplomb.

"I assure you we will, er... what was your name again?" Jakele inquired.

I am Dertykop! the Hutt declared. Formerly one of Rodia's most powerful gangsters!

"And you requested that a certain Glosaree Schmidt be... what was the term you used... 'rubbed out?'"

Yes. Schmidt was the crime-lord who displaced me. I want him eliminated.

"And what do you offer in payment?"

I will bequeath to you, on completion of the assingment, three hundred credits, as well as five of my most beautiful slaves.

"That sounds acceptable. What is Schmidt's current location?"

My spies on Rodia will transmit the rough coordinates of the area to you.

"I will also require a visual identifier for Schmidt."

Dertykop motioned to his droid, who produced a holoprojector. Dertykop activated it, showing an image of a tall, lanky man with a skull-like face and red skin. The Hutt handed the projector to Jakele.

See to it that Schmidt is taken care of as soon as possible.

"You have my word," Jakele assured him. "Come, Geer."

They rode Jakele's speeder to Mos Espa Spaceport, where they boarded Jakele's modified two-seater Z-95 Headhunter starfighter, the _Rushing Soul_, and took off. Latching onto a hyperdrive ring in orbit around Tatooine, Jakele and Geer jumped to lightspeed, headed for Rodia.

TTTTTT

The starship emerged from hyperspace, coming into Rodian airspace. Jakele punched a series of numbers into the ship's navscreen, then brought the ship down through the atmosphere to land on the location Dertykop's spies had designated: on a rocky hill overlooking a sprawling city.

"Stay here, Geer," Jakele warned his apprentice, climing out of the Headunter. "I'm going to make sure that the area is safe." Jakele dropped onto the Rodian soil and looked around carefully. He took one step forward... and was immediately hit in the shoulder by blaster-fire. The man from the holoprojecter stepped out from behind a rock, and was thereupon joined by taller, tougher-looking member of his same species.

"A.. trap," Jakele managed to gasp.

"Indeed," Glosaree Schmidt sneered.

"Dertykop lied about you, didn't he?" Jakele deduced.

"Yes. He did, I'm actually one of his best hitmen, after my friend here. A few years back, you accepted a contract on Galasganto, one of Dertykop's children. And succeeded in your assignment to kill him. Old Derty' was furious, as you could imagine. So he decided to take revenge."

"You're going to kill me, then?" Jakele asked.

Glosaree shook his head. "No, we're going to wait until you're almost dead. Then we're going to encase you in carbonite for Dertykop to display in his palace on Tatooine. As for him-" He jerked his head at Geer. "-Yeah, he's gonna die."

"I don't think so," Jakele grinned. With his good arm, he pressed a button on his belt. Suddenly, the controls in the Headhunter switched to autopilot. The cockpit shield dropped down, and the ship began rising into the air.

"No!" Geer cried, pounding on the screen. "Jakele! Let me back down! I need to help you! I have to stop them! Jakeeeeeeele!" But it was no use. The Headhunter reentered space and reattached to the hyperdrive ring. It was then that Geer noticed the coordinates were set for Tatooine. A spark of inspiration awoke in his mind, and he ceased struggling.

The ship jumped to lightspeed once again.

TTTTTT

_One month later._

Dertykop's palace was the place to be for wild parties on Tatooine. In just three months, the Hutt had established himself as the planet's party king, throwing merrymaking-fests said to be even raunchier than those held by Jabba himself. dertykop had a taste for high living, and an eye for beautiful slave-girls, of which he was rumored to own over seventy.

To the left of his throne in his palace's center room, he had hung the grimacing visage of Jakele Mastin, frozen in carbonite as a trophy, as well as an example to those who would dare cross Dertykop.

On this particular night, the party was wilder than any before it. Everyone was having a wonderful time, until a tall, muscular stranger wearing Mandalorian body armor probably bought at one of Tatoine's many secondhand vendor-shops blasted down the palace doors and strode into the throne room.

Who dares intrude upon my property? Dertykop demanded. The stranger narrowed his eyes. His gray skin was covered in many scars, and they seemed to make the stranger even more fearsome. The stranger whipped out a blaster and pointed it at Dertykop, causing the party guests to scatter in panic.

I-I recognize that blaster model! Dertykop squealed. Its bolts are powerful enough to tear through through solid durasteel!

"Or Hutt skin, for instance," the stranger growled.

Please! Dertykop begged. I'll do anything - give you anything you want! My slaves! Take my slaves; they're all yours! Every last one of them! Just... just please don't hurt me!

"A coward at heart," the stranger sighed, shaking his head. "I should have guessed. What I want, Dertykop, is you to leave this room, and to order the termination of Glosaree Schmidt. Now!" he barked.

Wh-whatever you say, Dertykop whimpered, slithering out of the room. The stranger hurried to the carbonite containing Jakele's body. Pressing a button on the side of the carbonite's holding case, the stranger caused steam to cloud out of the box, melting the carbonite. Jakele fell, but was caught by the stranger.

"Huh? Who... who's there? Where am I?" Jakele asked. He was squinting hard, obviously suffering from the effects of hibernation sickness.

"It's me, pa," said the stranger. "Geer Ben. You were in carbonite, being held captive by Dertykop, but I saved you! You're safe now."

"You fool," said Jakele, coughing up blood. "I was inches away from death when they put me in there. Now you've doomed me. Foolish and headstrong, just as always!"

The words stung Geer.

"No matter," coughed Jakele. "Geer, it is time for you to begin shaping your destiny. From now on, the actions you take will determine what kind of man you will become."

"But where do I begin?" Geer pleaded. "Where should I go? I need you, Jakele! I'm nothing without you!"

"Begin on the planet Ygtep," said Jakele. "Discover your heritage as a member of the Ygteptian race. You will be great, Geer. I know it. Someday, all the Galaxy will know your name. I just know it..." then he took his last breath. Geer laid the body down. He touched Jakele's forehead and then his - an Ygteptian funerary ritual ingrained into his subconscious - and got up. He began walking towards the palace entrance. When he left the palace, wind was blowing the ever-abundant Tatooine sand about.

_I suppose in a way, we are all sand particles; tiny dots in a massive Galaxy_, Geer thought.

Now it was time for him to discover what kind of dot he would be.

/

Next Time: Geer discovers corruption of government on his home world, as well as an ancient and dark secret, in chapter two: "Temple of the Sith!"

(Author's Note: Yes, I know Hutts are hermaphrodites and so Dertykop isn't technically a "he." However, Hutts _do_ have gender assignments based on whether they have a masculine or feminine personalities. Hence, Derty's a he_)_


End file.
